Continuous cooker for fish reduction



y 1931. G. R. HENSHALL CONTINUOUS COOKER FOR FISH REDUCTION Filed April 29, 1929 Fateated May 1%1 UNITED STATES aai PATENT OFFICE CONTINUOUS COOKER FOR FISH REDUCTION Application filed April 29, 1929, Serial No.

. This invention relates to a cooker for fish reduction processes, in which 'pilchards or other suitable fish material easily procurable in quantity are cooked in such a way 5 that the protein material may be readily separated from the oleaginous liquor whereby it becomes available for use as fertilizer or chicken feed, the liquor being also separated into the two components water and oil 30 and the latter made available for industrial use.

The apparatus is intended primarily for use in connection with a co-pending appl1- cation for a process which application was filed on the 29th day of Se tember, 1928, under Serial No. 309,361. T is process has reference to the chemical preparation or treatment of the fish material previous to cooking and expressin the oil and the cooker herein referred to is pecuharly advantageous in this connection.

The cooking operation is carried on continuously in a cylindrical tubular member within which a helical conveyor secured to and driven by an axial shaft revolves. The cooking is effected by low pressure steam circulating in an exterior annular casing so that when the fish material has been propelled to the discharge end of the cooker the cooking operation is completed.

The apparatus is constructed in convenient lengths suited to the particular installation, and the character of the fish material determines the length of the traverse and the number of the sections, which may be su erposed or otherwise as desired.

alient features of the invention are that a suitable inclination is given to the casing whereby the oleaginous liquor drains towards the discharge end as it is released by the cooking process following the prelimlnary chemical treatment. The completely cooked fish material is forced against a perforated hafie plate by the action of the helix so that the remaining liquid content drops directly upon a strainer grating positioned over the discharge sump whilst the drler material is similarly collected and delivered to the screw compressor for the final extraction of any residual liquor.

358,935, and in Canada February 28, 1929.

With a view to aid in the more complete breaking up of the material traversing the conveyor radial paddles are disposed at intervals on the conveyor to disturb and separate the travelling mass.

The invention is better described by the aid of the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this application and in which a longitudinal sectional elevation of the cooker is shown in combination with the necessary adjacent apparatus.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section illustrating the invention. Y

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail elevation, parts being broken away, showing the manner of coupling the screw sections together.

Figure 3 is a detail elevation of the apertured bafiie plate.

Figure 4 is a detail section showing how the steam jacketed casing sections are coupled together.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail View of one of the batlies.

In these drawings the numeral 2 indicates the cylindrical casing of my continuous cooker which for convenience of installation and repair is formed in suitable lengths v thence dropping directly upon the feed conveyor 7 by which it is traversed to the feed aperture 8 of the cooker, the latter being installed with sufficient angularity to the horizontal to effect continuous drainage of the oil towards the discharge end of the cooker, finally reaching the outlet through the strainer 10.

At the rear of the strainer is an apertured bafiie plate 11 through which the comparatively dry product is expressed by thefinal action of the conveyor 4. The oil drain 12 connects with the oil sump 13 and with suitalole storage containers (not shown).

' 0n the conveyor shaft 14 are paddle members 15 at suitably spaced intervals for the purpose of disturbing the material in its traverse through the cooker and so aiding in the extraction of the oil.

The drier material expressed through the 3 baflie 11 falls directly into the hopper 16 of an ordinary helical extractor-press 17, whence the product is discharged as practically dry meal-cake and separated oleagidifferent heat treatment owing to the varying character of the fish material and to pro vide for this separate steam control is provided on each section, the inlet being at 23 and the drain or'outlet at 24.

This more exact method of heat control in combination with quick drainage of the oil 1 is peculiarly necessary with my process where very rapid separation of the protein from the oil is obtained, making it necessary that the oil should not be overheated and thus damaged in colour:

The cooker is driven mechanically in any convenient manner, such as by a belt on the driving pulley 18 on the main shaft 19, this latter bein the feed en at 20 where it actuates the feed conveyor 7, and at the discharge end being connected through the gearing 21 to drive the shaft 14 and by a sprocket and chain mechanism 25 driving the oil extracting screw-press 17.

Having now particularl described my in-' vention, what I claim an desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

In a continuous cooker for fish reduction processes the combination com rising, acylindrical casin enclosing a he cal conveyor and encircled y an annular steam jacket, the construction of the same in connective sections, whereby said cooker may be conformed to space requirements either in the linear or superposed relation of its arts the construction of the delivery end 0? said cooker characterized by a cone-shaped termination of the boss of the conveyor helix whereby the eifective cross-sectional area of the delivery end of said casing is adually decreased thereby subjecting the h material to an increasing pressure which reaches a maximum at the point of delivery, a drainage receptacle of the nature of'a sump at the bottom of the said cooker and adjacent its delivery end, a removable strainer of suitable fabricated metal between said sump and said casing, an apertured baflie plate continued over the cooker to forming a transverse closure to said casing and through which the expressed fish material is discharged, the construction of said cooker being characterized by the giving to the said casing of an angular inclination whereby the liquid content of the fish material is constantly drained towards the delivery end of the said cook'er, the construction characterized by the addition of radial paddles secured at spaced apart intervals along saidhelical conve or, and the construction characterized by't e application of separate steam control meinbers to each of the said sections whereby one section may be operated at a different temperature to another section.

1 In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE E. HENSHALL. 

